Before It Fades (The Eva Series #3)

This is the much anticipated third book in The Eva Series, a Wattpad hit with over 4M combined reads.
In BEFORE IT FADES, Eva and her friends are on a race against time. A team of rescuers are on their way to Sydney to evacuate survivors of the outb...

"I don't want to die," I said, looking back and forth at her and Wyatt. "Knowing I only have a few seconds left to live is devastating, but the only thing that terrifies me more than dying is the thought of becoming one of those ... things." I took in a deep breath, trying to prepare myself for the end. "I refuse to become a monster." My mind felt as tumultuous and chaotic as the raging waters at my feet. Minutes earlier I was sleeping soundly, surrounded by my only friends in the world, headed to our salvation. Yet there I was, standing in front of the people I loved, saying my final goodbye.

Ben stepped out of the RV with the gun in his hand and started walking towards me.

"No!" Wyatt said as he pushed him back. "We're not doing this!"

"We don't have a choice!" Ben yelled, pushing him back. "It's her or us."

Wyatt kicked the wooden barrier of the bridge, cracking one of the posts. "But we're so close!" he yelled, clenching his fists in frustration. "This time tomorrow we'll be in Sydney, and in a few days we'll be saved. This will all be over."

"For you, yes," I said. "It will be. But for me, it's already over. It was over the moment that bullet hit me."

Wyatt shook his head in denial, but the pain in his eyes told me he knew I was right.

"Ben," I said. "Hand me the gun. I want to do it myself."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes. I don't want any of you to have to live with that burden. It has to be me."

Ben held the gun out, and I took it with shaking hands. It felt heavy and slippery from the rain, and just holding it gave me a feeling of dread.

Jo couldn't hold it in anymore, and she burst into tears. She draped herself over me, holding me tight.

"Thank you for being like a sister to me, Jo," I said, unable to stop the tears from rolling down my cheeks. "Your friendship is what got me this far. I love you more than anything."

"I love you," she said. "So much."

Jo stepped back, covering her mouth with her hands as she sobbed. I looked at Wyatt, the despair on his face too much to bear. It felt so cruel to have to say goodbye to him when only a few hours earlier I was telling him I loved him.

He started walking over to me when thunder cracked loudly over us, making me jump. A strong whooshing sound followed, and I turned my head to see a rush of water hurtling towards the bridge. Before I could tell the others to run, the wave had hit us hard, knocking us all off our feet. The gun slipped out of my hand as I struggled to find something to hold on to.

"Eva!" Jo called as she held out her hand. I took hold of it, trying to keep my head above the water. She was holding on to the side of the bridge, but it was breaking apart from where Wyatt had kicked it. It couldn't hold our weight for very long. Wyatt and Ben scrambled to their feet and started helping Jo pull me in, but I knew it was futile. There was no point in them risking their lives to save me - I was doomed no matter what.

I looked up at Jo with sadness in my eyes, and she knew what I was thinking. She shook her head, but I knew what I had to do.

I took one last look at the people who had become my family, grateful that they had been by my side throughout such turmoil. I used my last second above the water to do something I'd never done until our nightmare started all those weeks ago: pray. I prayed for their safety, I asked God to help them get to Sydney, to help them survive.

And then I let go.

The last thing I saw was their distraught faces as they watched me get swept away.

I let the water take me under, and hoped it would be over quickly.

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Wondering why I've changed the titles/covers? I wrote a blog post all about it at jenmariewilde.com.